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The Fixes / How to Draw / Chameleon
All year · Grades 4–6 · 14 steps

How to Draw a Chameleon

Jungle Chameleon from The Drawing Fix™. An easy step-by-step drawing for Grades 4–6. Draw it with your class in about 7 minutes, one step at a time. Free to use and print. No sign-up.

By Christopher Allen · Ontario elementary educator14 stepsAbout 7 minutesUpdated Nov 5, 2026
Run it on the projector →Printable step sheet (PDF)

This one asks for a little more patience: overlapping shapes, pattern and detail. It is a calm, focused few minutes, and the finished drawing looks like real art.

Before you start: a pencil, an eraser, a sheet of paper and something to colour with.

Draw lightly at first. Dark lines come at the end, once the shapes look right.

Step-by-step: how to draw a chameleon

  1. Step 1. Body curve

    Draw the main body curve.

  2. Step 2. Head

    Add the head bump and mouth.

  3. Step 3. Eye

    Draw the round eye.

  4. Step 4. Front legs

    Add the front legs and little feet.

  5. Step 5. Back legs

    Add the back legs and feet.

  6. Step 6. Curled tail

    Draw the curled tail.

  7. Step 7. Branch

    Add the branch under the chameleon.

  8. Step 8. Leaf hands

    Add the gripping toes.

  9. Step 9. Spots and stripes

    Add body markings.

  10. Step 10. Leaf cluster

    Add jungle leaves around it.

  11. Step 11. Tongue and bug

    Add a tiny bug target.

  12. Step 12. Branch texture

    Add wood texture lines.

  13. Step 13. Ground leaf

    Add one fallen leaf below.

  14. Step 14. Create

    Make the jungle scene yours.

The pink line is the new part in each step.

Make it theirs

  • Add a background that tells a story. Where is it?
  • Give it a name and write it underneath.
  • Try it again tomorrow from memory.
  • Colour last. There is no wrong colour for a chameleon.

Teaching it with the projector

The projector version draws each step slowly on the board, pauses while students copy it, then checks in before the next step. Nobody has to talk, so you are free to walk around and help.

Quick Fix: 8 steps, about 5 minutes. Good for a brain break or the last few minutes before recess. Full Focus: all 14 steps, about 7 minutes, with the extra detail.

Open Jungle Chameleon on the projector → It works on any classroom screen. No accounts, no student names, no ads.

Curriculum connections

Visual arts: the elements of design (line, shape, pattern and texture) and creating art for a purpose. Language: listening to and following multi-step directions. Directed drawing also builds fine motor control and focus.

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